Elizabeth Smart and Matthew Gilmour were married Saturday on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Smart came into national prominence in 2002 when the then-14-year-old was snatched at knifepoint from her bedroom in Salt Lake City in a kidnapping case that captivated the nation. She was found nine months later about 20 miles from her home, wandering the road with her abductor, Brian David Mitchell, and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Mitchell is serving a life sentence in Utah. Barzee is serving 15 years.
The nuptials at the Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were witnessed by a small group of family members, according to a statement released by Smart family spokesman Chris Thomas and obtained by HLN affiliate KSL-TV.
"Elizabeth's desire was for what most women want -- to celebrate her nuptials in a private wedding with family and close friends," Thomas said.
"We're just thrilled that she's married," her father, Ed Smart, told The Salt Lake Tribune, saying the nuptials were "kind of a spur of a moment thing."
The couple had a private reception and luau, then planned to go on a honeymoon to an undisclosed location, KSL reported.
Matthew Gilmour, 21, is from Aberdeen, Scotland, and met Smart, 24, in France, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Gilmour is the son of two school music teachers and has three sisters and a brother, the Mail reported.
The couple originally planned to marry this summer, but moved the date up to avoid fanfare in the media.
"After the story broke about her engagement and the media became increasingly invasive, Elizabeth recognized it was going to be impossible to have a traditional wedding devoid of distractions and unusual challenges outside of her control," Thomas said. "She decided, about a week ago, the best way to avoid significant distraction was to change her wedding plans and to get married in an unscheduled ceremony outside of Utah," he told KSL.
Join the conversation...